Today's Feature

Approved The Computer Bid.

The Budget Ways and Means committee approved a bid for a new server and computer for City Clerk Lynn Campbell at the meeting Monday. The bid was for $6,371.88 from Worldwide Technologies which was the State bid. The committee extended the amount to $7,000 in order to accommodate for as much of the installation as possible. The approval was also contingent on further inspection by a representative from Carthage Water and Electric Plant.

Campbell submitted for bids matching the specifications in the analysis provided by Ultreya. Data compiled by Ultreya showed the strengths and weaknesses of the current City computer system and listed new equipment which the City could implement. Campbell also submitted for bids matching the specifications for the software the City will be running.

The bids approved were somewhere between the two sets of specifications. The committee questioned the immediate need for some of the items in Ultreya’s specs and opted for a bid with less memory and without dual processors knowing that the equipment can be upgraded at a later date.

The pool is a hassle, it costs money to operate and keep clean, and likely needs an attendant for the time it would be open. It all adds up to several thousand dollars a season. ‘Course the most of the same arguments could be made for most services provided, especially in the park system. The regular pool, the ball fields, Kellogg Lake, the soccer fields, the tennis courts, the golf course and the playground equipment, along with Memorial Hall and the Civil War Museum, all have a cost in dollars and manpower associated to their operation and upkeep. Currently the Carter Park pool seems to be at the bottom of the list. Priority zero.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

• "If you have a squeaky door hinge, use petroleum jelly instead of oil. It works just as well, and there are no messy drips to clean up." — N.A. in Missouri

• "Here’s a fun summer project for kids: Buy a few clear-plastic plates, which you can find at discount stores or mass merchandisers. Use paints, cut-out pictures and glue to decorate the underside of the plate, keeping in mind that the pictures should be face down (facing the plate’s surface). Seal the backside with spray-on varnish or lacquer, and you have a fun, festive plate to enjoy all summer long at picnics, back-yard barbecues or just for dinner." — S.D. in North Carolina

• Keep your pets safe during the grilling season. Try to block off the grill area if Fido will be out and about while you are cooking, and never leave the grill unattended. Secure trash to keep your pets safe. Bones from chicken and even ribs can splinter and get caught in your pets’ throats. Make sure the lid to the garbage can is sealed.

• "Carefully read the signs in grocery stores to make sure an item that looks like a good deal really is. Oftentimes, products are ‘featured’ with a tag that looks like a great sale price, when the real price is only pennies more. Ask yourself if you would have bought the item anyway." — A.G. in New York

• "If you are trying to stay slim this summer but you order a lot of take-out, try retyping the healthiest menu choices from each favorite eatery into a single-page format, with telephone numbers and hours of operation. I did it, and it saves me from having to look through the bad (but tempting) choices." — J.A. in New Mexico